The Food And Drug Administration - 1740 Words

Today’s world is facing many challenges given the growing concerns and current repercussions of environmental climate change and demands of a growing global population. Not only is climate change effecting the worlds ecosystems, human health and fresh water resources, it is drastically effecting the worlds agriculture. Unpredictable weather such, as rising temperatures, colder temperatures, excessive flooding, and droughts are just a few of the increasing weather instabilities, which are challenging and threatening today’s agriculture growth and production. As such, crop yields continue to decline and present a risk to future food security. As a world, we are facing an adaptation deficit leaving us very vulnerable and thus, we must seek to†¦show more content†¦The potential for further varieties is plausible but much debate shadows biotechnology given unknown human, animal and environmental risks and impacts. Consumer risk perspectives toward transgenic technol ogy are unbalanced between developed and industrial countries given a) the level of trust in government regulators regarding food supply safety; b) attitudes toward scientific discovery; and c) the influence of media coverage (McCluskey Wahl, 2004). Genetically modified technology is progressive and carries many sustainable benefits but concerns as well, of which will be explored. Figure 1: Biotech Crop Countries and Mega-Countries*, 2012 What exactly is genetically modified organism? GMO is a living organism (bacteria, plant, animal) whose genetic composition has been altered by means of gene technology and the genetic modification usually involves insertion of a piece of DNA (bacteria or virus) and/or synthetic combination of several smaller DNA, into the genome of the organism to be modified (Khan, Muafia, Nasreen Salariya, 2012). GMO have two specific transgenes that have been created; one, with a built in pesticide for insect resistance and the other, for herbicide tolerance. Genetic modification has been a progressive resource to reducing/eliminating challenging environmental conditions that crops face related to pests, disease and harsh climate conditions. Elevating nutritional quality and the deficiency of vitamin A